Lightbridge Academy was founded as a family business based on core values and a Circle of Care philosophy that places equal importance on the needs of children, their families, teachers, center owners, and the community. Lightbridge Academy provides quality early education and child care programs to children aged six weeks through kindergarten. The company currently has over 160 child care centers either open or in development throughout Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Craig Murray, Chief Development Officer, brings over 15 years of experience as a real estate developer. With in-depth development expertise and real estate experience, he leads and oversees the franchise development team to create a repeatable, best-in-class process. He drives growth and enables the Lightbridge Academy brand to scale in a responsible manner. By identifying prime markets and delivering top-notch locations, franchisees are well-positioned to best serve the families and communities in their Circle of Care.

Franchise Chatter (FC): Can you start by telling us more about Lightbridge Academy?

Craig Murray (CM): Lightbridge Academy was established as a family business in 1997, and founded on a well-defined set of Core Values and a Circle of Care philosophy that places equal importance on the needs of all stakeholders that positively impact the care and education of children. Known as The Solution for Working Families, the brand not only provides children with high-quality early education and care but also supports the needs of busy working parents.

As a category disruptor operating in an essential and high-demand category, Lightbridge Academy leads with visionary business-minded innovation and technological advancements in this critical space, attracting and collaborating with like-minded franchisees to transform the industry.

FC: Tell me about your background and how you got involved with Lightbridge Academy.

CM: I have over 15 years of experience as a real estate developer in the dental industry, where I worked for three major dental organizations, built over 300 dental offices in 20 states, and managed a $180 million book of business. Before
joining Lightbridge Academy, my most recent role was as a Divisional Vice President for Dental Care Alliance, where I helped the company scale its operations by establishing best practices across over 100 offices.

When I first ventured into the field of development, I was driven by the profound impact I could have on the communities we served. It wasn’t just about the structures we built, but the positive impact we could have with the jobs we created, the services we provided, and the revenue generated for all involved. This sense of contribution and growth has always been at the core of my professional journey.

It was a significant decision to transition into franchising with Lightbridge Franchise Company. Conversations with Lightbridge Academy’s CEO, Gigi Schweikert, played a crucial role in this shift, and I quickly realized the perfect
alignment of timing and opportunity to embrace a new challenge.

FC: Lightbridge Academy was recently awarded a variety of top franchise honors, can you tell us more about what contributed to those placements?

CM: We kicked off 2025 with three prestigious award inclusions including Franchise Business Review’s Franchise Satisfaction Award, ranking #179 on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list, and Franchise Times Fast & Serious list. These franchise honors reflect Lightbridge Academy’s unwavering commitment to empowering our franchisees, enriching the communities we serve, and providing exceptional care and education for the children and families we serve.

This is the second consecutive year that Lightbridge Academy has been awarded the Franchisee Satisfaction Award and it is a testament to our steadfast dedication to our franchisee partners, and the collaborative work to make their businesses a success. We also climbed an impressive 31 spots on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list, which reflects our exceptional achievements in growth, financial strength, stability, and brand power. Additionally, Lightbridge Academy’s recognition as one of the top 40 brands on Franchise Times’ Fast & Serious list underscores our remarkable systemwide sales and unit growth over the past three years, solidifying our position as a standout leader in the early childhood education franchising industry.

FC: What are the brand’s plans for franchise expansion this year and beyond?

CM: Given the persistent demand for high-quality early educational child care across the country, I’ve been honored to spearhead Lightbridge Academy’s recent growth which has been nothing short of remarkable. We have awarded 34 new unique licenses and celebrated nine grand openings across seven states in 2024 and are expanding to a total of eleven states.

Over the last two years, the commitment of the Board of Directors and our CEO to scale the business is evident. They have brought on the additional resources necessary to support our growth. It has helped attract quality franchisees into our system, best-in-class enrollments, historical projects for openings, and of course, a continued focus on delivering excellence for the families we serve.

While our foundation remains our people, our systems and processes must support them effectively. As our team continues to pursue new and existing markets for growth, we’re focused on opening 20+ locations in 2025 and 2026. Lightbridge Academy is now at a pivotal point where we can confidently say we are hitting our stride.

FC: Will Lightbridge Academy be targeting expansion in any new markets this year?

CM: We are actively evaluating data to identify two additional states for expansion, with our current focus on two Midwest states that, like many others, have a significant demand for high-quality child care. Our strategic approach ensures
that we enter markets where families will greatly benefit from our unique offerings.

Beyond expanding into new states, we are also committed to strengthening our presence in markets where we already operate. By doing so, we can capitalize on our well-established operational excellence and robust marketing efforts. This
approach allows us to build on our strong brand recognition while continuing to meet the growing demand for exceptional early childhood education in these communities.

FC: What sets Lightbridge Academy apart from other educational child care brands for prospective franchisees?

CM: At Lightbridge Academy, we set ourselves apart from other child care providers by going beyond what is expected, offering families a higher level of customer experience and connection to their children’s day. The brand provides full
transparency and creates trust with its ParentView Internet Monitoring which enables families to see what’s happening in their child’s classroom, a parent e-Communication app with pictures, videos, real-time reports, and milestone updates and setting the gold standard for health and safety through the Lightbridge Promise.

In 2025, all Lightbridge Academy centers will be in the process or will have completed the process of achieving accreditation. A testament to the level of educational excellence that is delivered through our Seedlings Early Childhood Education Curriculum. Additionally, we include enrichment programs for sign language, Spanish, music appreciation, and yoga and mindfulness to create an enriching learning environment.

Lightbridge Academy students tested 95% proficient in kindergarten-readiness skills according to a 2023-2024 Vine Assessment of four- and five-year-old pre-kindergartners across key learning domains, a milestone celebrated by the teachers and families who love them.